HOLMDEL – Bayshore Community Hospital recently opened its pediatric care center, an affiliate of K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
The center was opened to better serve the needs of the children in the community, providing a completely new experience and level of care for pediatric patients and families. A similar facility opened at Riverview Medical Center nearly three years ago and was immediately embraced by the community.
“A child’s and their family’s needs in an emergency are unique, both clinically and emotionally,” said Dr. Ian Leber, medical director of the Emergency Care Center at Bayshore Community Hospital. “Providing a special place, designed just for them can help make a difficult time a little easier.”
The pediatric care center features an observation area staffed by a team of board certified pediatricians who are on call around the clock and an emergency care section staffed by certified emergency physicians.
The child-friendly approach and design is bright and cheerful, and offers in-room accommodations for parents.
No one knows the benefits of the pediatric care center more than Patricia Chadwick of Keansburg. Just three days after the center opened, Chadwick, her husband, and her four children ages 10, 8, 4, and 1 were among the first patients in the center.
“All four children had upper respiratory infections at once,” Chadwick said. “I didn’t know that the pediatric care center had opened, but when we arrived we were immediately greeted by friendly faces. My husband and I are incredibly grateful and appreciative at the level of care we received to our kids. Everyone at the pediatric care center understood our needs and, believe it or not, we were out of there and back on our way home in only about an hour! Having a resource like this right in our backyard should provide peace of mind to any family.”
As a member of the Meridian Pediatric Network, the center offers a direct link through dedicated pediatric transport vehicles for acute care at the area’s leading children’s hospital, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. There they have access to more than 100 pediatric specialists, a neonatal intensive care unit, and recognized leaders in neurosurgery, asthma, and diabetes.
“With the opening of the pediatric care center, families in the surrounding communities will experience the difference in how we approach emergency care for children,” said Timothy J. Hogan, regional president of Bayshore Community Hospital and Riverview Medical Center. “The center is yet another way that we are creating a new experience for patients and our guests.”
The Pediatric Care Center at Bayshore will be open seven days a week, from 3 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends. To find a pediatrician or learn about services, call 1-800-DOCTORS. Additional information is available by visiting www.BayshoreHospital.org.
